Give me your Hand
by Lost in the Forest
Summary: Hermione confronts Ginny about her recent depression. A short little ficlet, very dramatic.


Disclaimer: *points to JK* Hers. *points to self* Not Mine. *points to JK* Hers. *points back to self* Not mine. Got it? No? Okay, once more. *points to JK* Hers! *points to self* Not mine! Alright, onto story!  
  
Okay, this one I wrote between 1:18 to 2:53 a.m. ^_^;; these late nights(/early mornings) will be the end of me. Well, this one was inspired by my brand new Lisa Loeb Nine Tales guitar book!! ^_^ Strumming through it, I realized how sad all of her songs are. That, and I love making characters play guitar. ^__^  
  
  
  
Give me your Hand.  
  
Give me your hands, if we be friends,  
  
And Robin shall restore amends.  
  
-Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, scene I  
  
  
  
The mellifluous sound of a guitarist lazily strumming a heavyhearted tune drew Hermione up to the Astronomy Tower. To her knowledge, no one came up here except to hold long sessions of a 'hands-on how-to-snog' class, though this did not explain what either of the girls was doing here.  
  
It wasn't until she reached the door that she realized she knew the voice. The room held a girl with a veil of curly-red hair obscuring her face and a sturdy brown guitar on her lap. A black hard-shelled instrument case sat at her feet and, had Hermione possessed any, she would have tossed some coins in for the girl's hard work.  
  
"I didn't know you played guitar, Ginny." The girl snapped her head up, breaking the spell of peacefulness the song had put on her. Her freckles stood out more than usual on her pale skin. The looked wrong beneath her eyes, once fresh and optimistic, were now dark and hardened with forced solitude.  
  
"Well, we can't all be good at magic." -We can't all be smart, either. Or beautiful. Or popular.- "And with no one to hold my hands, I must do something with them." Hermione didn't need to hear her harsh tone to know what bitter words those were.  
  
"I didn't know you came up to the Astronomy Tower either." -I don't know a lot about you, Ginny.-  
  
"I bet you didn't know that I like the smell of peppermint. Or that I love raw carrots, but hate them cooked. Or that I was the one to convince Professor Trelawney to change her incense from Nag Champa to Sandalwood after Neville's awful allergy reaction."  
  
"No, I didn't know any of that." There was an uncomfortable silence as Ginny replaced her guitar in its case.  
  
"I didn't mean to interrupt you." Hermione said when she was through snapping all the locks into place.  
  
"Yes, and I didn't mean to get in your way." She had a feeling Ginny didn't mean just this instance.  
  
"I came up here to talk to you."  
  
"I came up here to play guitar. Alone, as always."  
  
"I wanted to talk to you about Harry."  
  
"So talk. I can't guarantee I'll listen." Ginny gracefully settled down upon a glass-less window seat made for stargazing. She stared out the window and seemingly ignored Hermione. Hermione sighed and wondered where to start.  
  
"I know you feel betrayed. I've felt the same way many times." Ginny interrupted with a soft, cynical snort. Hermione ignored her, as she always did. "But I want you to know that I'm still your friend, despite the whole Harry thing." Another forceful exhaling of air. "We all miss you." Interruption. "And we worry, Ginny! We worry!" A snort and an eye roll drove Hermione over the edge.  
  
"All right, pay attention!" Hermione's forceful tone compelled Ginny to face her companion. "We are worried! You're skipping meals; you're losing weight like we're rationing food! You disappear for hours at a time, and I know you don't always come here! You're pale and you move like you're carrying the world! Have you slept at all this week?" Ginny dismissed her question and concerns with a wave of her hand, and turned back to the stars. "I want you to know that I'm still your friend." She held her hand. "Give me your hand, Ginny. Let's be friends again."  
  
Ginny walked silently and slowly to Hermione's outstretched hand. She paused while she considered the hand and the girl it belong to.  
  
"I slap your hand away Hermione." And she did so, violently. "And leave me alone from now on," she said, picking up her guitar case and gathering her things. She pushed passed the shocked girl and out. "Yours is a friendship I would rather avoid." Her words echoed like the slam of the door.  
  
  
  
A/N: Is it just me, or is the first line of this story really heavy? ^_^;; Ah well, I like it. I love the word mellifluous ^___^ Ah, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. ^_^ I like my other story (Most Shaggable Teacher in Hogwarts XD) better *winkwink*nudgenudge* And I'm sure you will too!! ^___^ And I know you also want to review this story. I'm a mind reader ^_^ If you review more, I'll write more! Awe, come on, you know you want to! Yeah, baby, yeah!!  
  
-Lost in the Forest 


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